The Chicago Cubs’ farm system is always providing exciting moments, and we’re here to bring you the highlights and lowlights. If you missed the sixth edition highlighting Saturday’s action, check it out right here. But for now, let’s dive into the seventh edition.
Triple-A Iowa Cubs: 5-4 Victory Over Louisville Bats
Biggest Yes: Darius Hill — 3/5, 3B, 2 RBI
After becoming the first two-time “Biggest Yes” award winner in Around the Farm history yesterday, Hill now takes home back-to-back awards and is your first-ever three-time winner. The man just keeps hitting. I now have him up to No. 24 on the Cubs’ top 30 prospects with the highest hit grade in the system. You have to imagine he sees some time with the Cubs as the season winds down so Chicago can evaluate how his bat adjusts to MLB pitching.
Biggest Yikes: Jonathan Holder — 0.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB
This was just Holder’s third game pitching in Iowa this year, but he has looked very rusty throughout. Remember, this is a guy who has made 157 appearances in the majors, so you don’t need to worry too much about his stuff right now. However, this is the biggest yikes for Sunday as Holder came on, put four runners on base, and only managed a single out. Not what you want to see from a guy with a 4.38 ERA in the majors.
Double-A Tennessee Smokies: 8-7 Victory Over Mississippi Braves
Biggest Yes: Yonathan Perlaza — 3/5, 2B, 3B, HR (20), 2 RBI
How often do you see someone finish just a single away from the cycle? Well, that was Perlaza’s day on Sunday. The slugger hit his 20th home run on the season, added a double, and even snagged a triple. As a result, he moved up to the 35th-best prospect on my Cubs list. In an 8-7 victory, the Smokies don’t win this game, or even come close, without Perlaza’s performance.
Biggest Yikes: Eduarniel Nunez — 1.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO
Primarily, the reason this game was so close was Nunez’s ninth-inning performance. Coming up to Tennessee after 41.0 IP with a 3.73 ERA at High-A South Bend, Nunez had a great first performance for the Smokies. However, he followed it up with Sunday’s three-run blow-up. Frankly, his stuff was just easy for hitters to read. Nunez managed to shut it down before blowing the lead, but he looked rough along the way.
High-A South Bend Cubs: 3-5 Loss to Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
Biggest Yes: Jordan Nwogu — 1/4, HR (10), BB, 3 RBI
Nwogu was responsible for all of the Cubs’ runs on Sunday as he smacked his 10th home run of the season and walked in a run. Hat tip to Bleacher Nation’s Bryan Smith (a must-follow if you’re reading this series) for a cool fact here.
Shortly after Nwogu’s blast, Jacob Wetzel went deep for Myrtle Beach and made it 12 players in the Cubs system with the 10/10 achievement. It fits Nwogu’s profile as a natural athlete, and the 28th-best prospect in the Cubs system still seems to be full of potential to continue to improve.
Biggest Yikes: Daniel Palencia — 3.0 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO
I have Palencia as the Cubs’ 27th-best prospect right now. He certainly didn’t look the part on Sunday. Struggling with command and location, Palencia’s ERA skyrocketed over 6/10ths of a point after he was done pitching. He still has the potential to be a really good arm for the Cubs as he progresses through the system, but Sunday was tough for the 22-year-old right-handed pitcher.
Low-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans: 4-5 Loss to Columbia Fireflies
Biggest Yes: Liam Spence — 1/3, HR (2), 3 RBI
Spence, a 2021 fifth-round pick out of Tennessee, has really struggled with the bat so far in his minor-league career. On the season, Spence is hitting just .164 with just a .588 OPS. So, getting a home run and knocking in three runs with it is a big win. Spence was one of those older prospects you’d hope would translate over to professional ball faster, and maybe this game is a step in the right direction.
Biggest Yikes: Felix Stevens — 0/4, 2 SO, 4 LOB
That was a rough one for Stevens, who had several chances to drive in runs and came up empty every time. Stevens has hit for some power this season for Myrtle Beach (10 HR), so he’s actually a guy you may want at the plate with runners on base. Unfortunately, he couldn’t deliver on Sunday, which you can’t have in a one-run loss.
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